1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to method and apparatus for sequentially opening respective ones of a plurality of plastic bags and filling the plastic bags. In one of the preferred embodiments, this invention relates particularly to apparatus that is adapted for use with coin operated machines for automatically filling bags with material such as ice cubes that have been frozen in the apparatus.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The prior art has seen the development of a wide variety of methods and apparatuses for filling a bag with material. One area that has been particularly troublesome has been the dispensing of small quantities (a few pounds) of ice cubes at locations, such as in motels. Ordinarily, an ice making machine will freeze the cubes and dump them into a storage bin. Thereafter, the consumer scoops the cubes from the bin into his own container. This type of dispensing has resulted in very unsanitary conditions at times. In fact, several states and governmental agencies have banned this because of the unsanitary conditions and transmission of diseases that have occured. For example, if the bin is not cleaned periodically, slime may gather on its walls. Also, consumers may use their hands or the like and transmit diseases. Also, consumers will sometimes temporarily store items such as fish, milk, and the like and even attempt to chill melons or other fruits in the bins.
In order to try to obviate these unsanitary conditions, plastic bags filled with ice cubes have been stored in publicly accessible places. While this may tend to solve the sanitation problem it increases the costs as it involves considerable manual labor. The closest prior art that is known is U.S. Pat. No. 3,789,570, entitled "Bagging Apparatus and Method" issued Feb. 5, 1974 to James N. Mullins, Jr.; and the descriptive matter of that patent is incorporated by reference herein for details that are omitted herefrom. That patent discussed the fact that attempts have been made to develop machines that would freeze and automatically bag ice cubes at the point of consumption; for example, at a motel. As pointed out therein, the machines before that patent have not been successful for various reasons, one of the primary reasons being the difficulty of handling plastic bags that are extremely flexible and not self supporting when not opened as is a Kraft bag or the like. The method and apparatus delineated in that patent provided one way of solving this problem and that invention has been commercially successful. Success has created an expanding market that now includes, in addition to motels, grocery stores, airlines and associated facilities. It is impossible to have trained servicemen at all facilities. During the expanding use of the machines, however, it has been found desirable to provide method and apparatus that had one or more of the following features not heretofore provided.
1. It is desirable to pull on the plastic bag at a plurality of points adjacent the outside edges of the forward side so as to pull it open and pull the bag; particularly the bottom; away from the next succeeding bag; instead of pulling on one point alone with only one rod and having less satisfactory opening and more failures.
2. It is desirable to simplify the settings of cams, cam followers, linkages and the like such that field operators can more easily repair or correct difficulties with the apparatus. In fact, it is desirable to make one adjustment and setting at the factory and eliminate the necessity for field adjustments.
3. It is desirable to minimize difficulties with providing a proper squeeze on grasping buttons for holding the front edge of the bag.
4. It is desirable to alleviate problems with tricky door cams on the right hand side that affected the insertion, grasping, holding, release and withdrawal of the grasping buttons.
5. It is desirable to provide a structure that alleviates problems with the buildup of accumulation of snow when the ice is soft and frozen fast, as in winter operations. The prior art structure required the trapdoor hinge to be mounted internally of the measuring cabinet and had such problems.
Thus, it can be seen that the prior art, even the improved art represented by U.S. Pat. No. 3,789,570, was not totally satisfactory in providing apparatus for automatically filling bags with material stored in bulk, as ice cubes from an ice bin.